Ficcaglia was one of seven Pinelands commissioners who blocked the South Jersey Gas pipeline proposal in January.

BRIDGETON — When Leslie Ficcaglia, Cumberland County's longtime representative to the state Pinelands Commission, was removed from her position last month, she said it was like her "child being taken away from her."

The Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders unanimously voted to replace Ficcaglia on April 22. Before her departure, Ficcaglia had been on the commission for 18 years.

She was shocked and believed it could only be attributed to her voting against a 22-mile natural gas pipeline proposed by South Jersey Gas.

But Cumberland County Freeholder Director Joe Derella said politics had nothing to do with it — that she had held the position for a long time, and it was time to give others a chance.

However, Ficcaglia said the way in which she was removed "was not done in a benign or a friendly way."

Ficcaglia is being replaced by realtor and former Cumberland County freeholder Jane Jannarone.

"They didn't tell me ahead of time or even thank me for 18 years of service," she said.

She was beyond hurt.

"This was a major part of my life — protecting the Pinelands has been a very important aspect of my life for the past 18 years."

Ficcaglia was one of seven Pinelands commissioners who blocked the South Jersey Gas pipeline proposal in January.

She thinks Gov. Christie and other legislators in support of the pipeline had something to do with it.

Derella, who supports the pipeline project, admitted that in terms of the potential negative effects from the pipeline, he "did not know all the ins-and-outs."

The pipeline, proposed by South Jersey Gas, would run from Maurice River Township through the Pinelands to Beesley's Point in Cape May County.

The Pinelands region is governed by the 15-member Pinelands Commission. The Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) regulates virtually all development over at least 936,000 acres and 56 municipalities for the purpose of preserving the region’s natural resources.

The pipeline is being proposed to refuel the BL England power plant. According to Jeff Tittel, director of the NJ Sierra Club, if BL England is refueled, it will be the largest greenhouse gas emitter along the New Jersey coast as a result of carbon pollution.

The Sierra Club is a national, member-supported environmental organization — one of America's largest grass roots environmental organizations.

Tittel added it will also continue the water pollution in the Great Egg Harbor Bay and that building the pipeline means cutting from the forest, drilling under streams, wetlands — which he said means chemicals, drilling, pollution and runoff.

And he believes the pipeline is all due to political pressure from "the Christie-Norcross machine" and that South Jersey Gas gives a lot of money to political campaigns.

According to Tittel, the move to replace Ficcaglia came a few weeks after Governor Christie vetoed the minutes from the March 14 Pinelands Commission meeting, blocking staff from getting a 5 percent raise. According to both Tittel and Ficcaglia, it was the first time ever a governor vetoed the minutes from a Pinelands Commission meeting.

The Sierra Club and other groups are challenging the pollution discharge permits for BL England in the Appellate Court.

For Ficcaglia, she did not believe the project was properly vetted by South Jersey Gas, and when she and fellow colleagues requested answers, she said she did not get any.

"We didn't know what kind of effect the pipeline would have — if there would be a problem putting it in or if there's a risk of failure. And we didn't get any answers from South Jersey Gas," she said.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1), a leading advocate for the project, said the analysis of those opposing the pipeline is blown way out of proportion and does not believe it poses a legitimate environmental threat.

But Van Drew, who said that South Jersey Gas has contributed funds to his campaign in the past, added the project is about bringing jobs.

According to Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi (R-1), who also supports the project, there will be about 300 temporary construction jobs for the pipeline project and that once the pipeline is completed, there will be about 100 jobs, as a result.

Ficcaglia said, according to the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan, infrastructure is not allowed to be place in the Pinelands if it is not intended to primarily serve the area. Ficcaglia noted that according to Pinelands CMP, building a pipeline is not permitted.

And Van Drew raised the point that if the proposal was so bad, why did seven other commissioners, whose job it is to protect the Pinelands, vote in support of the project?

Ficcaglia said she believes the commissioners were "under pressure."

Ficcaglia said the Pinelands is also home to a large number of endangered species, provides water to the Maurice River, which, in turn, provides water to the region's fishing and oyster industry.

"And if something were to go wrong — and things do go wrong with gas pipelines — it could knock all of that out."

The Pinelands National Reserve (PNR) was created by Congress under the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978. The PNR is the first National Reserve in the nation. It spread across seven counties Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean.